Acknowledgments

Just as peace and conflict emerge from a web of interactions, this book has been produced in interaction with numerous people, including activists, diplomats, academics, and friends. More than 100 years ago, Peirce and Ketner (Reference Peirce and Ketner1992 [1898], 76) wrote that ideas often emerge out of “conversations with all sorts of people,” but unfortunately “interesting people are as hard to find as interesting books.” Luckily, I have been surrounded by many not only interesting but also genuinely inspiring and brilliant people throughout my career. Many of the ideas in this book have emerged from conversations and collaborations with these people. As will become obvious throughout the book, I am in great intellectual debt to Randall Collins. Through personal conversations and a continuous willingness to discuss aspects of his theory, Collins has contributed both directly and indirectly to the production of this book, while at the same time proving true his own hypothesis about academic life: the importance of social bonds between scholars and the immense benefits of being close to “intellectual stars” (Collins Reference Collins2009a). Another source of inspiration whose “stardust” has been critical for developing the ideas and thinking for this book is Ole Wæver. I am very grateful for the hours of inspiring, mindboggling dialogue on the nature and characteristics of conflict and peace that we have had. Similarly, many of the ideas for this book have emerged out of continuous discussions with Simone Molin Friis on the nature of violence and Lisa Strömbom on the dynamics of conflict transformation. I am grateful indeed to be surrounded by such great minds.

Some of the empirical, theoretical, and methodological content of the book has been produced for other projects in collaborations with others. Poul Poder opened my eyes to the fruits of Randall Collins’ theoretical garden, and many of the ideas presented in this book have emerged out of our collaboration on emotions and conflict. Similarly, my work on developing video data analysis (VDA) in relation to peace research and International Relations has been carried out in collaboration with Jonathan Austin. Empirically, the observations on Nordic Women Mediator meetings and some of the interviews with participants in peace diplomacy have been conducted with my “partner in peace,” Anine Hageman, and my study of the Colombian National Dialogue has been conducted together with Maria del Mar Morales. These collaborations have been extremely valuable to me, and I am grateful for having been allowed to publish parts of our findings in this book.

I also want to extend my sincere gratitude to Rasmus Nørlem Sørensen, who graciously agreed to spend his summer holiday reading and commenting on the manuscript to this book in its entirety. Many other colleagues and friends have contributed tremendously with brainstorming idea development, theoretical and empirical discussions, and constructive feedback. In particular, I would like to thank Karin Aggestam, Andreas Hirblinger, Roger Mac Ginty, Gustav Agnemann, Annika Björkdahl, Annika Bergman, Wendy Pearlman, Anne Nassauer, Oliver Ramsbotham, Sara Dybris McQuaid, Vincent Pouliot, Lasse Liebst, Kristoffer Lidén, Nickolas Wheeler, Rebecca Adler Nissen, Lisa Strömbom, Lene Hansen, Jenny Lorentzen, Mette Juel Madsen, Anne Lene Stein, Nicholas Wheeler, and Marcus Holmes. Likewise, several research groups have provided invaluable comments on chapters of the book, including the Peace and Conflict group at Lund University, the Research Group on Dialogic Communication at Roskilde University, the IR group at the University of Copenhagen, and the Trust in World Politics network, currently facilitated by the Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security at the University of Birmingham. I am also very grateful for the magic and copyediting that Jon Jay Neufeld did to the manuscript.

The core of the book consists of empirical, micro-sociological observations, most of which would not be possible without the openness and helpfulness from numerous interlocutors from the Philippines, Bahrain, Syria, Tunisia, Colombia, and across the globe. I appreciate all of the detailed and at times deeply personal accounts that my informants have shared with me. Many people have risked their lives to talk with me, opened their homes for me to stay overnight, or driven me around to show me the realities of their everyday lives. Special thanks to Elisabeth Slåttum, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Philippine government, and the CPP/NDFP, who allowed me to attend the Philippine peace talks, which provided unique insights into how peace talks work, for which I am forever grateful. Also, I would like to extend a special thanks to Karen Stokkendal Poulsen who gave me access to the large amount of raw data from her documentary The Agreement.

The Centre for Resolution of International Conflict (CRIC) at the University of Copenhagen and Peace and Conflict Studies at Lund University have provided the perfect research environments for developing and nurturing the book. I am so grateful for all of the help I have received from these two institutions, including various assistants who have helped throughout the writing process. I would also like to thank the many students who have helped me develop my thinking on conflict, violence, and peace by asking good questions, forcing me to present the arguments in a straightforward manner, and honing inspirational case studies.

Perhaps most importantly, I am also deeply grateful for the support and understanding that I have received from my two daughters, Vilma Fri and Ingvild. Lying in bed with you while waiting for you to fall asleep at night has provided the perfect space to develop ideas, and drawing with you has provided the space to sketch models for the book. As evident in these two examples, you have put up with a great deal of absentmindedness, and for that I am very thankful. But I am of course most grateful for all of the joy and love preventing any cynicism that might otherwise arise from working with issues of war and violence. I would also like to thank my dear husband for the many conversations we have had on the ideas and concepts in this book and for always saying yes to whatever work-related opportunity I might suggest.

Finally, I would like to thank the journals that graciously allowed me to include in this book parts of content that I have previously published with them: International Affairs, Conflict Resolution Quarterly, Third World Quarterly, Peace & Change, International Journal of Conflict and Violence, Psychology of Violence, Journal of Resistance Studies, and Conflict, Security & Development.